Power of quantum channels for creating quantum correlations

Local noise can produce quantum correlations on an initially classically correlated state, provided that it is not represented by a unital or semiclassical channel [ Phys. Rev. Lett. 107 170502 (2011)]. We find the power of any given local channel for producing quantum correlations on an initially classically correlated state. We introduce a computable measure for quantifying the quantum correlations in quantum-classical states, which is based on the noncommutativity of ensemble states in one party of the composite system. Using this measure we show that the amount of quantum correlations produced is proportional to the classical correlations in the initial state. The power of an arbitrary channel for producing quantum correlations is found by averaging over all possible initial states. Finally, we compare our measure with the geometrical measure of quantumness for a subclass of quantum-classical sates, for which we have been able to find a closed analytical expression.